Snow affecting car insurance premiums?
With more accidents occurring in the winter, how could the cold weather be affecting your insurance payments?
Winter can be a dangerous time to drive, with icy roads impacting on braking and steering and snowfall reducing visibility. While the possibility of snow will usually be accounted for by insurers when calculating car insurance premiums in areas where adverse weather is likely to happen, the greater snow coverage of recent winters has caused some UK policyholders to fear that their premiums may be pushed up with the season.
A recent study by one insurance company identified a 23 per cent rise in claims being made during the British winter, with some of the most common accidents involving cars skidding into kerbs, other vehicles and road barriers, due to reduced traction. These numbers may become even greater if the trend for ‘Big Freeze’ winters continues throughout the decade, and could see insurers charging higher prices to reflect the increased risk of accidents on icy roads.
One proven method to improve the grip of your vehicle on slippery road surfaces is to replace your regular tyres with specialised snow tyres – however, these can prove an insurance risk themselves, if not fitted correctly. While driving with snow tyres is recommended by some experts during particularly icy conditions – the tyres are even required by law in some countries, in addition to snow chains if conditions become even more hazardous – improper fitting can lead to additional premiums being charged by your insurer.
To avoid insurance-related problems and still enjoy a safer drive this winter, be sure that the snow tyres you choose are of the same make and model as your standard tyres, to avoid compatibility problems. You should also have the tyres professionally fitted at the garage, rather than attempt to do so yourself and risk making a mistake that could harm your chances if you need to make insurance claims.
Fitting winter tyres is no guarantee of your safety, of course, especially as most other motorists won’t have them. To look out for your safety when driving in the winter, you need to make sure you take appropriate steps for the season, which includes monitoring your speed and distance from other vehicles even more cautiously than you would normally.
While there may indeed be more accidents during the winter months, due to the snow and ice, the good news for drivers involved in collisions is that they are at least likely to be less damaging than during other times of the year, as most incidents will happen at slower speeds. This means damage should be less costly to repair, and won’t have as much effect on your car insurance quote.
Jennifer is a part of the digital blogging team at cashzilla.co.uk who work with brands like LV =. For more information about me, or to keep up to date with the latest in finance news, check out my posts at cashzilla.co.uk or visit my Twitter account, @cashzilla.
